diff --git a/src/IntrusivePtr.h b/src/IntrusivePtr.h
index 7d9578d29f..c94af83d16 100644
--- a/src/IntrusivePtr.h
+++ b/src/IntrusivePtr.h
@@ -28,10 +28,11 @@ struct NewRef
 	};
 
 /**
- * This has to be forward declared and known here in order for us to be able
- * cast this in the `Unref` function.
+ * These have to be forward-declared and known here in order for us to be able
+ * cast them in the `Unref` function.
  */
 class OpaqueVal;
+class TypeVal;
 
 /**
  * An intrusive, reference counting smart pointer implementation. Much like
@@ -120,9 +121,10 @@ public:
 		{
 		if ( ptr_ )
 			{
-			// Specializing `OpaqueVal` as MSVC compiler does not detect it
-			// inheriting from `zeek::Obj` so we have to do that manually.
-			if constexpr ( std::is_same_v<T, OpaqueVal> )
+			// Specializing `Val` subclasses that the MSVC compiler
+			// does not detect as inheriting from `zeek::Obj`
+			// so we have to do that manually.
+			if constexpr ( std::is_same_v<T, OpaqueVal> || std::is_same_v<T, TypeVal> )
 				Unref(reinterpret_cast<zeek::Obj*>(ptr_));
 			else
 				Unref(ptr_);
diff --git a/src/Type.cc b/src/Type.cc
index b1e1d55351..bd03096917 100644
--- a/src/Type.cc
+++ b/src/Type.cc
@@ -992,6 +992,9 @@ void TypeDecl::DescribeReST(ODesc* d, bool roles_only) const
 		}
 	}
 
+namespace detail
+	{
+
 // A record field initialization that directly assigns a fixed value ...
 class DirectFieldInit final : public FieldInit
 	{
@@ -1099,6 +1102,8 @@ private:
 	VectorTypePtr init_type;
 	};
 
+	} // namespace detail
+
 RecordType::RecordType(type_decl_list* arg_types) : Type(TYPE_RECORD)
 	{
 	types = arg_types;
@@ -1149,7 +1154,7 @@ void RecordType::AddField(unsigned int field, const TypeDecl* td)
 	if ( field_ids.count(td->id) != 0 )
 		{
 		reporter->Error("duplicate field '%s' found in record definition", td->id);
-		deferred_inits.push_back(std::nullopt);
+		deferred_inits.push_back(nullptr);
 		return;
 		}
 
@@ -1161,7 +1166,7 @@ void RecordType::AddField(unsigned int field, const TypeDecl* td)
 	auto def_attr = a ? a->Find(detail::ATTR_DEFAULT) : nullptr;
 	auto def_expr = def_attr ? def_attr->GetExpr() : nullptr;
 
-	std::optional<std::unique_ptr<FieldInit>> init;
+	std::unique_ptr<detail::FieldInit> init;
 
 	if ( def_expr && ! IsErrorType(type->Tag()) )
 		{
@@ -1171,14 +1176,14 @@ void RecordType::AddField(unsigned int field, const TypeDecl* td)
 			auto zv = ZVal(v, type);
 
 			if ( ZVal::IsManagedType(type) )
-				init = std::make_unique<DirectManagedFieldInit>(zv);
+				init = std::make_unique<detail::DirectManagedFieldInit>(zv);
 			else
-				init = std::make_unique<DirectFieldInit>(zv);
+				init = std::make_unique<detail::DirectFieldInit>(zv);
 			}
 
 		else
 			{
-			auto efi = std::make_unique<ExprFieldInit>(def_expr, type);
+			auto efi = std::make_unique<detail::ExprFieldInit>(def_expr, type);
 			creation_inits.emplace_back(std::make_pair(field, std::move(efi)));
 			}
 		}
@@ -1188,13 +1193,13 @@ void RecordType::AddField(unsigned int field, const TypeDecl* td)
 		TypeTag tag = type->Tag();
 
 		if ( tag == TYPE_RECORD )
-			init = std::make_unique<RecordFieldInit>(cast_intrusive<RecordType>(type));
+			init = std::make_unique<detail::RecordFieldInit>(cast_intrusive<RecordType>(type));
 
 		else if ( tag == TYPE_TABLE )
-			init = std::make_unique<TableFieldInit>(cast_intrusive<TableType>(type), a);
+			init = std::make_unique<detail::TableFieldInit>(cast_intrusive<TableType>(type), a);
 
 		else if ( tag == TYPE_VECTOR )
-			init = std::make_unique<VectorFieldInit>(cast_intrusive<VectorType>(type));
+			init = std::make_unique<detail::VectorFieldInit>(cast_intrusive<VectorType>(type));
 		}
 
 	deferred_inits.push_back(std::move(init));
@@ -1392,6 +1397,18 @@ void RecordType::AddFieldsDirectly(const type_decl_list& others, bool add_log_at
 	num_fields = types->length();
 	}
 
+void RecordType::Create(std::vector<std::optional<ZVal>>& r) const
+	{
+	for ( auto& di : deferred_inits )
+		if ( di )
+			r.push_back(di->Generate());
+		else
+			r.push_back(std::nullopt);
+
+	for ( auto& ci : creation_inits )
+		r[ci.first] = ci.second->Generate();
+	}
+
 void RecordType::DescribeFields(ODesc* d) const
 	{
 	if ( d->IsReadable() )
diff --git a/src/Type.h b/src/Type.h
index afab6ccf1e..6aa43b31b9 100644
--- a/src/Type.h
+++ b/src/Type.h
@@ -37,6 +37,16 @@ class ListExpr;
 class Attributes;
 using ListExprPtr = IntrusivePtr<ListExpr>;
 
+// The following tracks how to initialize a given record field.
+class FieldInit
+	{
+public:
+	virtual ~FieldInit() { }
+
+	// Return the initialization value of the field.
+	virtual ZVal Generate() const = 0;
+	};
+
 	} // namespace detail
 
 // Zeek types.
@@ -601,17 +611,6 @@ public:
 
 using type_decl_list = PList<TypeDecl>;
 
-// The following tracks how to initialize a given field.
-
-class FieldInit
-	{
-public:
-	virtual ~FieldInit() { }
-
-	// Return the initialization value of the field.
-	virtual ZVal Generate() const = 0;
-	};
-
 class RecordType final : public Type
 	{
 public:
@@ -690,6 +689,15 @@ public:
 
 	void AddFieldsDirectly(const type_decl_list& types, bool add_log_attr = false);
 
+	/**
+	 *
+	 * Populates a new instance of the record with its initial values.
+	 * @param r  The record's underlying value vector.
+	 */
+	[[deprecated("Remove in v6.1. Construct a corresponding RecordVal and build vector from "
+	             "GetFieldAs() calls.")]] void
+	Create(std::vector<std::optional<ZVal>>& r) const;
+
 	void DescribeReST(ODesc* d, bool roles_only = false) const override;
 	void DescribeFields(ODesc* d) const;
 	void DescribeFieldsReST(ODesc* d, bool func_args) const;
@@ -710,7 +718,7 @@ public:
 
 	detail::TraversalCode Traverse(detail::TraversalCallback* cb) const override;
 
-protected:
+private:
 	RecordType() { types = nullptr; }
 
 	void AddField(unsigned int field, const TypeDecl* td);
@@ -718,9 +726,9 @@ protected:
 	void DoDescribe(ODesc* d) const override;
 
 	// Field initializations that can be deferred to first access,
-	// beneficial for fields that are separately iniitialized prior
-	// to first access.
-	std::vector<std::optional<std::unique_ptr<FieldInit>>> deferred_inits;
+	// beneficial for fields that are separately initialized prior
+	// to first access.  Nil pointers mean "skip initializing the field".
+	std::vector<std::unique_ptr<detail::FieldInit>> deferred_inits;
 
 	// Field initializations that need to be done upon record creation,
 	// rather than deferred.  These are expressions whose value might
@@ -728,7 +736,7 @@ protected:
 	//
 	// Such initializations are uncommon, so we represent them using
 	// <fieldoffset, init> pairs.
-	std::vector<std::pair<int, std::unique_ptr<FieldInit>>> creation_inits;
+	std::vector<std::pair<int, std::unique_ptr<detail::FieldInit>>> creation_inits;
 
 	friend zeek::RecordVal;
 	const auto& DeferredInits() const { return deferred_inits; }
diff --git a/src/Val.cc b/src/Val.cc
index 635a022ba1..6218beef98 100644
--- a/src/Val.cc
+++ b/src/Val.cc
@@ -2778,6 +2778,14 @@ RecordVal::RecordVal(RecordTypePtr t, bool init_fields) : Val(t), is_managed(t->
 				throw;
 				}
 			}
+
+		// The following is just for testing the deprecated Create()
+		// call, and can be removed with 6.1.  We leave it commented
+		// out so we don't get deprecation warnings when building.
+#if 0
+		std::vector<std::optional<ZVal>> testing;
+		rt->Create(testing);
+#endif
 		}
 
 	else
diff --git a/src/Val.h b/src/Val.h
index eb2b789bd6..7290a6eacd 100644
--- a/src/Val.h
+++ b/src/Val.h
@@ -1218,7 +1218,7 @@ public:
 		if ( (*record_val)[field] )
 			return true;
 
-		return bool(rt->DeferredInits()[field]);
+		return rt->DeferredInits()[field] != nullptr;
 		}
 
 	/**
@@ -1247,7 +1247,7 @@ public:
 			if ( ! fi )
 				return nullptr;
 
-			fv = (*fi)->Generate();
+			fv = fi->Generate();
 			}
 
 		return fv->ToVal(rt->GetFieldType(field));
@@ -1458,7 +1458,7 @@ protected:
 			{
 			const auto& fi = rt->DeferredInits()[field];
 			if ( fi )
-				f = (*fi)->Generate();
+				f = fi->Generate();
 			}
 
 		return f;